An army commander who led a mutiny in Madagascar said Tuesday that the military had seized power after lawmakers ousted President Andry Rajoelina and forced him to flee the country following weeks of youth-led protests.
Rajoelina had refused to resign despite growing protests by Generation Z demanding his resignation and widespread desertions in the military.
“We have taken power,” Colonel Michael Randrianirina declared on national radio, claiming that the military was dissolving all institutions except the lower house of parliament or the National Assembly.
Randrianirina later told reporters that a military-led committee would govern the country for a period of up to two years alongside a transitional government before organizing new elections.
“The following institutions are suspended: the Senate, the High Constitutional Court, the Independent National Electoral Commission, the Superior Court of Justice and the Superior Council for the Defense of Human Rights and the Rule of Law,” states a statement from the country's military leaders.
In a day of turmoil for the nation off the coast of southern Africa, the 51-year-old leader, whose whereabouts are unknown, earlier attempted to dissolve the lower house by decree.
But lawmakers pressed ahead with a vote to remove him, leaving the country in a constitutional stalemate that the military took advantage of to declare it was assuming command.
Rajoelina, who came to power in a coup d'état in 2009, condemned the military's takeover in a statement.
The army suspends institutions
Randrianirina, commander of the elite CAPSAT army unit that played a key role in Rajoelina's 2009 coup, broke ranks with him last week.
In a defiant address to the nation on Monday night, Rajoelina said he had been forced to move to a safe location due to threats to his life. An opposition official, a military source and a foreign diplomat said Reuters He had fled the country on Sunday aboard a French military plane.
His isolation increased further on Tuesday when even lawmakers from his ruling coalition, which has a parliamentary majority, voted to accuse him of engaging in activities deemed incompatible with presidential duties.
Rajoelina had repeatedly warned in recent days that a coup attempt was underway in the Indian Ocean island nation.
Demonstrations on the rise
Demonstrations first broke out in the country on September 25 over water and power shortages and quickly escalated into an uprising over broader grievances including corruption, poor governance and a lack of basic services.
The anger mirrored recent protests against ruling elites elsewhere, including Nepal and Morocco.
Earlier on Tuesday, in Antananarivo's Plaza 13 de Mayo, along the main street lined with palm trees and French colonial buildings, thousands of protesters danced, marched, sang and waved banners denouncing Rajoelina as a French puppet due to his dual citizenship and support of the former colonizer of Madagascar.
Many waved Malagasy flags and Generation Z's signature protest banner featuring a skull and crossbones from the Japanese anime series “One Piece.”
At one point, Randrianirina took the stage and asked, “Are you ready to accept a military takeover?”, drawing approving cheers from the crowd.
Later, when news of the military takeover reached protesters, many were jubilant.
“We are very happy that Andry Rajoelina is finally gone… We will start again,” said high school student Fih Nomensanahary, as four of her friends cheered her on.
Others were more cautious. “They need to quickly hand over power to a civilian administration and hold elections,” said Rezafy Lova, a 68-year-old computer consultant.
Economy in tatters
CAPSAT joined the protesters over the weekend and said it would refuse to shoot at them. He then took charge of the army and appointed a new army chief, prompting Rajoelina to warn on Sunday of an illegal attempt to seize power.
Since then, the paramilitary gendarmerie and police have also broken ranks with Rajoelina.
Madagascar, where the average age is less than 20, has a population of around 30 million, three-quarters of whom live in poverty. Between its independence in 1960 and 2020, GDP per capita plummeted 45%, according to the World Bank.
